


How to Save a Life Buffy Style

by Buffyworldbuilder, lateVMlover (Buffyworldbuilder)



Series: Atonements and Fresh Starts [8]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:28:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24996886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buffyworldbuilder/pseuds/Buffyworldbuilder, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buffyworldbuilder/pseuds/lateVMlover
Summary: This story follows Buffy as she finds herself drawn more and more into the Avengers' world even as the darkness rising in Sunnydale pulls at her. Mostly off scene, the Winter Soldier events have occurred. Buffy offers her tracking skills to help find Bucky as Faith and Xander deal with the First who is starting to make its presence known.Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel or BTVS characters.
Series: Atonements and Fresh Starts [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1766362
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	1. Hydra

****** _A Few Months Later******_

Buffy had decided to take some classes after the New Year at the community college that was a half hour from Clint's. She only signed up for two classes so that she could ease herself back into the swing of things. If something came up that needed her attention, she wouldn't have such a hard time getting caught up.

Things were going so well for her and Dawn. Dawn loved her new school, having gotten involved with the drama department, much to Buffy's amusement. Finally, all the acting jobs she used to put on for their mother to get out of trouble and blame things on Buffy as a kid had a real outlet. Not having to worry about her survival constantly or her sister's had helped Dawn mature into a really great girl. Buffy actually enjoyed being with her. The constant bickering that used to plague their relationship was gone, and things were great.

Willow had sent word with Thor on his last visit to Earth that she and Tara were back on Earth and would visit her soon. Odin was sleeping to restore his power, which Buffy found hilarious. Who knew that a god was like a battery?

So far, Faith and Xander were handling the hellmouth without too much trouble. Some dweeb name Andrew, who was a year behind them in high school, caused some minor magical disturbances, but his pal—their old friend, Jonathan, ratted him out. Now Jonathan was giving magical aid in Willow and Tara's absence since he seemed to have an affinity for it. Giles said he was also great with the book stuff, which was good since Xander was frontline guy with Faith and her team of SHIELD agents. Captain American and Nat had gotten called away a month ago and then all hell broke loose for SHIELD.

Her phone rang. "Clint? Are you okay? Is Nat okay?" she asked. Clint had left to try to help when the news broke that Rogers was a wanted man and Fury was dead.

"I'm okay, so is Nat," he replied. "Rogers dismantled SHIELD."

"Seriously? That mean you're unemployed?" she asked in dismay.

"That's the least of my concern. Hydra has infiltrated the World Council. It was behind the target on Rogers—they killed Fury," he said. He wasn't allowed to share over the phone more. "I need you to come to New York, please. Nat says they need the help of a slayer, and Steve doesn't want to pull Faith away from the hellmouth."

"Of course, I'll come," Buffy said. She hadn't seen any action since the day she rose from the dead. It was nice, but the slayer inside of her was growing more and more restless.

"I have more to tell you when you get here. Tony's sending you his plane. Two hours, okay?" Clint said.

"You clearing this with the boss?" Buffy asked.

"Yes, I'm calling Laura next," he said.

"Okay. Be safe. I love you," she said, never knowing when she might get a chance to say it again. Life was too unpredictable, and her brother lived a dangerous life. Buffy, though, had come to adore him in the past six months. She and Dawn couldn't have a better brother. Her mother would've loved him. She wished that he'd gotten a chance to meet her mom when she was alive.

"Me, too," he said. "Be safe." He hung up.

Buffy put away her phone. Time to pack and then have the unpleasant conversation with her sister, who would not be happy that she was going out of town.

***** _New York*****_

Tony was worried. He'd never seen his friend so upset. Steve actually went out the night before and got drunk. It had taken almost all the liquor at Tony's disposal. After drinking all the liquor in his house, they'd went bar hoppin'. Tony would've been more impressed if things weren't so bad for their friend. Finding out that his best friend Bucky Barnes was alive was hard enough. Discovering that Hyrda had turned Bucky into the Winter Soldier, programming him to kill was devastating to Steve. Then Bucky had run off—after saving Steve's life.

"Where are they, JARVIS?" Clint asked as he got to Tony's tower recently renamed Avengers HQ.

"In the gym, sir," JARVIS replied.

Clint hit the appropriate floor and soon arrived. Sounds of hitting rang out as he stepped out of the elevator.

Tony watched Steve in concern. After the partying the two had done the night before, Tony was barely standing. Steve, though, woke up fresh as a newborn. It was not right! But seeing his friend pound away on his sixth punching bag cooled his jealousy. Steve's demons were riding him hard.

"Steve, knock it off," Clint called out as he came into the room. Tony stood to greet him.

"Glad you're here. He's depressing the hell out of me," Tony said to Clint. "I actually succeeded in getting him drunk last night—much to Pepper's annoyance. She has mostly made me quit drinking to excess. Last night, though, I was trying to be there for my friend. I'm barely functioning, and he's like that!" He pointed to Steve, who was pounding away at the bag still.

Steve hit the bag hard, tearing the chain. After it hit the ground, he turned to face his friends. "Clint," he said in acknowledgment. He reached for his towel. "You have news?"

"I called Buffy. She's coming. No one can track like a slayer. If anyone can find Bucky, it'll be her," Clint said.

"How can a slayer find a person? Aren't they tuned to the supernatural?" Steve asked, frowning.

"Actually, she told me once about her short stint a few years ago working with a military group in Sunnydale. She trained with them and could track them just as easily," Clint said.

"How would that work?" Steve asked.

"I don't how she does it exactly. She does stuff that no one else can do," Clint said with a shrug. "She can count on one hand how many times she's picked up a bow and arrow, and she's almost as good as me—even blindfolded."

"Seriously?" Tony asked, impressed.

"Yes. I don't know everything about being a slayer, but you've worked with Faith. I'm sure you've seen how incredible slayers are," Clint said.

"I have," Steve acknowledged. "But being good at slaying monsters isn't the same thing as being good at tracking down a human."

"Well, what do you have to lose?" Clint pointed out. "We don't want to pull Faith from the hellmouth to do this. Buffy is ready to be out in the field again—I can tell. It's a low risk job for her."

"Bucky's dangerous," Steve said. "He almost killed me."

"But he didn't," Clint reminded him. "In the end, he saved you."

Steve nodded in acknowledgment but didn't say anything. Finding out his best friend was alive had shaken him to his core. Bucky was in every memory he had of his life both before and after taking the serum. To see him so lost and violated broke Steve's heart. It also made him feel guilty. He had left his brother behind. It didn't matter that he didn't know Bucky survived the fall—he hadn't even looked. His superiors had convinced Steve that Bucky couldn't possibly have survived his fall from the train. They were wrong.

An hour or so later, they were in their favorite diner when Buffy came in. She had been there when she visited New York in January. Ironically enough, it was called The Comfort Diner. Buffy smiled as she walked into the place. Clint had a place like that in Iowa that he'd introduced her to. Food was always good and plentiful with reasonable prices.

"Buffy, over here," Clint called out with a wave.

She smiled and joined her brother with Tony and Steve. Clint stood and hugged her in greeting. She sat next to Steve, which was across from her brother.

"How are you doing?" she asked Steve. She hadn't spent much time with the most famous Avenger, but she had great admiration for him. The ultimate soldier combined with the ultimate gentlemanly manners was a potent combination. If Riley hadn't happened, she might've had a major crush on his yummy goodness. Instead, she didn't find solider types attractive at all.

"I've been better," he admitted.

The waitress interrupted with a tray of food.

"I ordered you a double cheeseburger and fries with a chocolate milk shake," Clint said.

"You're a good brother!" she said in approval.

"I told him that he was nuts to order a woman all those calories," Tony said with a grin.

"Slayers have fast metabolism," Buffy said, picking up the burger.

"I know. I've seen Faith pack it away," Steve said, smiling.

They ate in companionable silence for several minutes. When Buffy started on her shake, Clint told her in a low voice, "Fury isn't dead."

"What?" she asked, looking up.

"They almost killed him. Put a few bullets in him. It was close," Steve said grimly.

"Everyone but a few think he's dead. It's better this way," Clint said. "SHIELD needs to dissolve at least temporarily until we track down all the Hydra agents."

"I can't believe you guys got so infiltrated," Buffy said, shaking her head.

"Me either," Clint said in disgust. "All of us are going to be interrogated by other agencies. The FBI and Homeland will be all over this—even the CIA."

"Don't be surprise if you have to testify in a public forum of some kind like they did me when my suits came out," Tony said.

"We'll let Nat speak for us," Clint said with a shrug.

"So, tell me about your friend," Buffy said, looking up at Steve.

"Bucky enlisted in the army before me. When I finally made it, we served together. We fought Nazis together. I thought he was dead," Steve said, a look of pain in his eyes as he talked about his friend. "I watched him fall from a train going over a mountain. Some Hydra agents that worked for Germany got a hold of him."

"What did they do to him?" Buffy asked.

"They gave him a robotic arm. I'm assuming he lost his in the fall. They also brainwashed him somehow because he didn't recognize me at first," Steve said.

"I'm sorry," Buffy said, giving him a look of compassion. "I'll do my best to find him. A locator spell from a witch, though, might be a better bet. Do you have any blood of his?"

Steve shook his head. "No," he said. "I didn't think of it when we were fighting."

"We don't have a witch anyway," Clint reminded her. "Willow and Tara are gone."

"Actually, they just made it back, but Anya could do a locator spell if it was needed," Buffy said. "Giles or Jonathan, their new witch-in-training, could also. A locator spell is pretty simple if you have the stuff."

"I don't have the stuff," Steve said. "I might've gotten some of his blood on my fist or clothes, but I didn't preserve it."

"Who would think to do so?" Clint said in bemusement. He wasn't ever going to get used to the crazy world his sister lived in.

"Looks like you're going to have to do this the old-fashioned way," Tony said.

"We can get started now," Buffy said. She looked at Clint. "Are you going with us?"

"I'm going to be working with Nat on some clean up duty," Clint said.

"Call me if you run into trouble," Tony said.

Buffy got up and Steve followed. "Good luck," Clint said to Steve.

"Thanks. I'll watch out for her," Steve assured Tony.

Buffy glared up at him. "Hey, I don't need you or anyone else watching out for me! I survived the streets of L. A. when I was seventeen and a hellmouth for five years," she reminded them.

Clint grinned and pulled her in for a hug. "I'm your big brother. I'll always watch out for you. When I can't, my friends will," he said, not apologizing.

Tony winked at Buffy and said, "Watch out for Steve. He is a national treasure, after all."

Steve rolled his eyes, refusing to rise to the bait. He was just glad to have someone to help him find his best friend, his brother.

***** _To Be Continued*****_


	2. The Winter Soldier

_*****Several Days Later*****_

Buffy hung up the phone, stunned. Steve noticed her expression.

"You okay? Bad news?" he asked.

"No—just surprising. Willow and Tara got home not too long ago and got a surprise visit from Thor's dad and Loki," she said.

"Loki? Loki's in town?" Steve asked in concern.

"He's on his daddy's leash, I'm assuming. Xander just told me that the All-Father passed out some gifts as a thank you for Willow and Tara being big heroes when they were in Asgard," Buffy shared.

"Gifts? What kind?" Steve wondered.

"The best kind. Spike was given a soul, Xander was empowered somehow, and Willow and Tara will be going to New York," Buffy shared. "The All-Father said that the darkness of the hellmouth will never allow Willow to flourish. The girls are looking into Columbia or NYU for the fall."

"Contact Tony. He can take care of it," Steve said.

"Xander also says that we now have a crap load of money because Pepper shook down the Council to finally pay us!" Buffy said excitedly. "I can buy a house for all my shoes! Or rather the shoes I'm going to buy!"

Steve laughed, shaking his head. Buffy was so different from Faith. There was a flash of pain that he'd sometimes see in her eyes, or she'd get this far away look like she was somewhere else—maybe heaven. For the most part, she seemed to be happy and much more settled than Faith. Faith was like a caged tiger. However, he hadn't fought with her like he had Faith, so he couldn't really assess her. Their personalities, though, were night and day. Faith was all sex and innuendo with flashes of vulnerability, never backing down—even eager—from a fight. Buffy, in contrast, appeared vulnerable and helpless most of the time. Then a look of steel would come over, reminding him that she was a seasoned fighter. Ironically, she had more fighting experience than he did—probably more than all the Avengers. Clint had served the longest, but he didn't fight nightly for five years.

Buffy was finding Steve a good companion. He told fascinating stories of his time in the War. For Buffy, she couldn't image living through a real war with bullets flying and things getting blown up. Sure, she'd blown up a Judge and a school, but this guy had seen war—the worst kind. The kind that killed tens of thousands. Because she was a slayer, she had an innate connection to history because of her dreams. There had been more than one slayer involved in wars, but they weren't in front of her, fighting with her. Of course, there hadn't been much fighting the past week. Sure, the occasional vamp crossed their paths, but that hadn't been much of a challenge.

"So Michigan, huh?" Buffy said as they crossed into the state. Steve was driving a black Range Rover. They spent two days scouting all the old haunts from Steve's childhood and memories with Bucky. Then they expanded to New Jersey. Then last night, something occurred to Steve.

"He had an uncle that lived here. The uncle is dead, but there might be a relative of some kind," Steve shared.

Over the past few days, Buffy had heard so many Bucky stories from Steve. She felt like she knew this man—at least the man from Steve's childhood. What Hydra had done to him was inhumane. Buffy suspected that Hydra had more than one connection to the demonic community. It took someone nearly soulless to do what was done to that poor guy.

Natasha had given Steven an address. Buffy didn't think she was helping Steve much. Nat could easily do what Buffy was doing, but Clint had convinced them that Buffy was the best person to help Steve. She hoped this new location would pan out because she needed to get back to Iowa to her class. Spring break was over in two days.

Steve pulled down a long driveway. The uncle's house was outside of the city limit of Flint. They got out of the car. "So you going to do the talkin' while I stand next to you lookin' all cute and harmless?" Buffy asked with a grin, popping her bubble gum.

Steve chuckled. "Sometimes it's hard to believe that creatures of darkness fear you more than they do me," he said in amusement. She gave him a cheeky wink. The same action from Faith would not be nearly as guileless.

"Well, I spent several years beatin' and killin' them and their kind, so they know who I am. Eventually, I'm sure you'll put fear in them, too," she assured him even though she didn't think so.

Steve was good at reading people and knew she wasn't quite sure of that statement. "Do you really think so?" he asked, wanting to see how honest she'd be.

She hesitated a moment before shaking her head. "No. They'll never really fear you—respect you, sure. Run from you, sometimes, but they won't really be that afraid," she said.

"Why is that?" Steve asked.

"You have no darkness in you," Buffy said simply. It was one of the things she found most attractive about him—not that she was physically attracted to him. However, his presence was so soothing that she felt relaxed with him very soon after they began their trip together. The slayer inside her almost felt protective toward him. The authenticity and goodness that was practically bleeding from his eyes made her want to preserve it. Willow and Tara both had a bit of that when she'd met them. Now, though, Willow most definitely didn't. Tara, too, didn't have the level of wholesomeness that Steve possessed because she, too, had been touched by evil from her family and the hellmouth. Not even war, however, had darkened Steve's soul.

Steve stared at her a long moment. "You don't look very dark to me," he finally said.

"I'm the thing that demons fear," she said grimly, all trace of amusement gone from her face. "Death is my gift." Something flashed in her eyes that kept Steve from pushing further. He nodded and turned to walk up the sidewalk.

Buffy started to follow him and then stopped, sensing something. Eyes were on them, but she looked around and saw nothing. Turning, she walked to the side of the house and glanced around.

That's when she noticed a large barnlike structure a few yards away from the house. Going on instinct, she walked toward it. Cautious, she approached the building, searching for movement. There was none. She stood in the doorway—the inside was in shadows. Buffy moved forward, her eyes easily penetrating the darkness. However, someone stepped from the shadows to her left by the entrance. Before she could turn, strong arms were around her neck.

"I'll never go back," a rough voice whispered.

Buffy somehow knew—this was him. "It's okay, Bucky. We're friendlies," she told him as she moved quickly to fling him over her head.

The guy scrambled quickly, getting up to face her. "Who are you?" he demanded in an angry tone. Buffy was glad the light from the doorway was illuminating him somewhat. He had dark hair that was kind of long, hanging down from a center part.

Buffy moved toward him, wanting to get a closer look. "I'm Buffy. Buffy Summers. I'm a friend of Steve's, your best friend," she said.

"I have no friends," the man said coldly.

"You're Bucky Barnes, right?" she asked. She felt sure it was him, but she couldn't be completely certain. Then she stepped forward and saw the piercing blue of his eyes and knew it was him. The photos she had seen of him all had those eyes. Of course, the pictures all had him smiling, a carefree look about him. These eyes were cold as ice.

"A lifetime ago," he murmured. Yes, that was his name. The man had called him that and it had awoken something inside of the Winter Soldier. Flashes of memory kept haunting his dreams—there was this smiling scrawny kid and then the soldier. He didn't understand why his mind flashed between those two images so frequently. The confusion made him angry, so he glared menacingly at the small blonde woman. However, she seemed unaffected by his rage.

"Steve is here. He's a man out of time, too, and he wants to help you. He considers you family," Buffy said. "Let him help you."

"He can't help me. No one can," Bucky said bitterly.

Steve came into the building. "Bucky? Is that you?" he asked.

"You shouldn't have come," Bucky said angrily. As he stared at the taller man, a strong sense of familiarity hit him once again. This was the man from his dreams, his memories.

Steve moved to stand next to Buffy. "Of course, I came, Bucky. To the end of the line, remember?" Steve reminded him.

"The Bucky you knew is dead," he said flatly. He looked away as a memory of the man saying that to him came to him. _To the end of the line, Bucky._ Bucky was his name—somehow. What had happened to make him so messed up? Not knowing this made him feel both impotent and angry.

Steve stepped forward. "No, he's not. Bucky's not dead. He's standing right in front of me," he said firmly.

Bucky stared at Steve, trying to think of how to proceed. A sharp pain in his head kept him from fleeing like his instincts were telling him.

When Bucky put his hand to his head, wincing, Buffy knew something was wrong since she recognized the look of pain. "Is your head hurting?" Buffy asked.

"Yes," he said. "It's always hurting. They did something to me. So many things. Something's wrong inside."

"That's why you need to come with us, so we can help you," Steve said.

"So you can lock me up? Think that'll help me?" he asked sharply.

"You gotta trust me, Bucky," Steve said. He was now standing directly in front of his friend. "Do you think after all you did for me my entire life that I would abandon you when you need me most? How many times did you keep me from a beating before the war? How many times did you protect me? You were _my_ shield long before I was anyone else's. And I'll damn well be yours now. No one is going to hurt you again—I promise you that. They'll have to get through me first!"

Bucky stared into the face he knew better than his own. Into the eyes that had never changed no matter how the body transformed. The two images that haunted merged. Both were this man. His internal battle finally broke as something inside eased. This was Steve, his brother, his closest friend. Right now, he might be his savior.

Buffy was blown away by the scene in front of her. She didn't think she'd ever seen such naked emotion between two men. Bucky didn't say much, but his eyes—his eyes said everything. Something in them reached out to her, pulling her in.

She watched as Steve connected with Bucky with his words and then he put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Come with me, Bucky. Trust me again. I won't let you down," Steve said.

"Fine," Bucky finally said. "But it's going to mess your world up."

He wasn't wrong.

As soon as Steve made it back to New York with Bucky, a shit storm began.

***** _To Be Continued*****_


	3. Fighting a New Fight

_*****New York*****_

When Steve took Bucky to HQ, he didn't imagine that there would be so much conflict. The government convinced Fury that Bucky was too dangerous to keep around uncontained. They locked him up.

"This isn't right!" Steve exclaimed to Fury.

"It's temporary. I promise," Fury said. "We just need to assess his threat level and figure out the best way to help him."

"How is locking him up going to convince him that we're trying to help?" Steve asked angrily.

"Steve, you know as well as I that Bucky Barnes was the Winter Soldier and ordered to kill countless people," Fury replied.

"Not ordered, programmed. There's a difference," Steve fumed.

"I know there is, but the result is the same. People are dead because of him. We know what happened to him isn't his fault," Fury said.

"Then why are you treating him like he's a criminal when he's a victim?" Steve demanded.

"This is only temporary, Steve," Fury said again. He glanced at Buffy, not sure if her presence was helping her hurting the situation.

Buffy took his glance at her cue to speak. "Steve, don't worry about this. I think I will have Giles contact Travers. Let the Council be on standby. If the government can't or won't do right by him, we'll just have Willow magic him out of his cell and take him to England. The British government has treaties that keep them from interfering with Council business," she shared. "We'll just make him Council business."

Fury's eyes widened in alarm at the implications of her threat. "That cannot happen, Miss Summers. Barnes is an asset—an American one at that. We don't give our assets away to foreign governments—even if they are allies," he said.

"He's not an asset," Steve said in annoyance. "He's my family."

"I know that, Steve," Fury said. "I'll make sure no harm comes to him."

"But you can't control what the government does," Buffy pointed out. "If others work to go against your wishes, we should have another plan in place. Getting Bucky help is the priority. Whatever they did to his head is still there. I mean his head still isn't right."

"Which is my point. He could be a ticking time bomb," Fury said. "We have to be cautious."

Steve didn't like it, but he stopped arguing and turned to leave.

"A word, Miss Summers," Fury said, stopping her from following him.

"Yes?" Buffy asked, turning to face him. Steve left the room.

"I was wondering how you were doing?" He asked.

"Good," Buffy said. "Things are good."

"Clint said that you were taking classes?"

"Just two," she said. "Getting my feet in slowly. Back in the swing of things."

"Does that mean you want to start slaying again? I read in one of my reports that Cleveland has a hellmouth—not as big as Sunnydale. But if you wanted to do your old job, I can set up a house to support you," Fury offered.

Buffy was surprised by his offer. "Thanks. I'll let you know. Maybe this summer I can check it out. I want to finish my semester," she said.

"Of course," he said.

Buffy hesitated a minute before asking, "Did you want me still for your Avenger squad?"

"Of course," he said again. "I just don't want you to feel pressured to do what your brother does. But the door is always open."

"How about we keep it at world endage stuff or when you think I can be of particular help?" She suggested.

"Works for me," Fury said. "Your counterpart in Sunnydale seems to be doing well with my team."

"Faith is full of surprises," Buffy acknowledged.

"Can I ask a favor?" Fury asked.

"You can try," Buffy said with a grin.

Fury smiled, appreciating her tact. "Before you try busting Barnes out of here, let me give it a real attempt. If I can't get him the help he needs, I'll admit it and let you know," he said.

Buffy nodded. "I can do that. But I can't put Steve off indefinitely. Maybe Natasha could. She knows him better than me," Buffy said.

"Thanks," Fury said.

Buffy went down to see Bucky once more before she headed home. They had him locked into a room with a bed and toilet. It didn't have bars but a door, and there were no windows. A guard outside let her in.

"Hey. How are you doing?" Buffy asked.

"I'm in prison. How do you think I'm doing?" he asked, glaring at her.

"This isn't forever," Buffy assured him. "You were used to kill people for decades. They've screwed with your head. Do you want to still be used like that?"

Bucky said nothing and just glared.

"Look, we're not going to just leave you here. I promised Steve that I will get you out of here myself if the government is lying. If they don't fix your head and work to rehabilitate you, not punish you, I'll pull some very powerful strings I have and get you away from them," she told them. "I give you my word."

Bucky didn't know what to make of this slight girl. She seemed so small and weak, yet when he looked into her eyes, he only saw strength.

"Why do you care?" he finally asked.

"Because I know what it's like to be in lost and alone. I know what it's like to be in hell—except in my case, the hells are real," she said grimly. "I know what it's like to have powers you never asked for and a fate it's nearly impossible to escape."

"How?" he asked. How could this young woman know him so well? It both disturbed and attracted him.

"The next time I see you, I'll tell you about it," she said. "Would you like it if I wrote you? We can be old school pen pals!"

"Okay," he said, not sure what old school meant but finding her offer of connecting in some form appealing.

"Great!" she said, flashing him a bright smile.

When she left, her smile seemed to linger in the air. He was still contemplating it and her when his door opened yet again. This time it was Steve, who had spoken to him already once a bit earlier.

"Hey, buddy," Steve said. "I'm sorry about this. Director Fury said it won't be forever, but Hydra did have you for a long time."

"Yes, they did. Too long," Bucky said, sensing his friend's guilt. Steve wasn't to blame for the situation he was in now—Hydra was.

"When you get better, you'll be free," he said.

"So Buffy promised," Bucky said, not quite convinced. "She also said if they didn't, she could get me free somehow. Do you know what she's talking about?"

Steve nodded. "Yes, Buffy is a vampire slayer under the protection of the Watcher's Council in Great Britain. From what I've heard, they have quite a bit of power and influence world-wide," he explained. "Also, Buffy's best friend is a very powerful witch."

"Really?" Bucky asked, intrigued.

"Buffy died saving her sister from a hell god and was buried for a few months. Willow raised her from the dead—ripped her out of heaven even," Steve told him.

Bucky's face revealed more reaction to Steve's words than any he'd showed so far. The surprise and disbelief were obvious.

"I'm serious. Buffy Summers is young, but she's fought battles and monsters we can't begin to fathom," Steve said. "If she said she'd help, I believe her. Her older half-brother is a friend of mine—an Avenger. He's a great guy, and his sister is very special."

Bucky nodded, thoughtful. It was odd, though, that a woman he just met would make such a commitment to a man she didn't really know at all. Then an idea occurred to him, and he grimaced. How could he not see it? It wasn't him but Steve. It was always Steve. The more time he was around his old friend, the more pieces of his old life came back to him. Bucky remembered being very popular with the ladies, and then Steve became Captain America. The girls quit seeing him then—they only saw Steve. Buffy must be a fan of his and was showing him kindness because of Steve, not because of him.

"Is she your girl?" Bucky asked, trying to keep his mask of indifference on his face.

Steve shook his head. "No. I've not spent much time around her. Coming to look for you was the most we've interacted. I like her. She's hard not to like, but I can tell she doesn't think of me that way at all," he said.

"Why do you say that? If I remember right, most women found you appealing," Bucky said.

"I think it's because she thinks I'm too good, and she's too broken," Steve said. "She said 'death was her gift' like she meant it and that vampires would never fear me because I was too good."

Bucky could tell that Steve didn't know how to take her words, but he felt relieved. Then he grinned, making Steve feel for a long moment that his best friend was back. That was Bucky's grin—the Bucky he remembered. "She's right, you know. You might have lost decades, but there still isn't any darkness in you," he said.

Steve rolled his eyes, not agreeing. He had his demons. He survived a war and faced down more than one monster. "You should meet her dark counterpart. Faith and Buffy are like night and day," he said.

"Who's that?"

"Oh, well, there's only supposed to be one slayer at a time. When one dies another is called. Buffy's died before, so Faith was called," he explained. "Or some other girl first. Then that slayer was killed and then Faith. The slayer line resides now with Faith. That's why when Buffy died a second time no other slayer was called."

"The girl is a survivor," Bucky commented. _Like me._

"Most definitely," Steve agreed. "So is Faith. Those girls don't have an easy life. I was barely a man when I went to a war, but at least I was a man. They were still kids when they were called. Fifteen. They had to fight almost nightly."

"Fight what? Vampires?" Bucky asked, fascinated.

"Vampires, demons, anything that tries to destroy the world, and in Sunnydale that's a lot," Steve said. "When you get out of here, I'll take you to the hellmouth, so you can see for yourself!"

"A hellmouth? Is that an expression?"

"No, it's an actual hellmouth—a gateway to some hell dimension is there," Steve said with a grin. It was so good to see some life back in his old friend that he started to share some tales about his time on the hellmouth.

***** _A Few Days Later*****_

Buffy was back to class getting into the swing of things when Xander called her.

"Hey, Buff. How's things going?" he asked.

"Good. My class is good. I have a paper due in two weeks," she shared.

"When's the class over?" he asked.

"The end of April and then I have finals the first week in May," she explained.

"Are you going to stay in Iowa?" he asked.

"I don't know. My family's here, and Sunnydale is being taken care of," she said.

"You know Cordy came back?" Xander said.

"Yes, Willow called and told me. That's great," Buffy said.

"I talked to her yesterday," Xander said. "She's really upset about Angel. Did you know he has a kid that everyone forgot about because he let that evil law firm do some spell that altered everyone's memory but hers?"

"What?" Buffy asked, stunned. "I saw him when I was first back, and he didn't say a word!"

"I guess it was an ugly situation. The kid was postal. Suicidal even. Can't say I'm surprised. He had two vampires for parents and was kidnapped by this guy who hated Angel when he was a baby and raised in some hell dimension," Xander said. "From what I hear, he was raised to hate Angel. The kid had major issues."

"Sounds like," Buffy said. Although she was hurt Angel didn't say anything to her, she still ached for the pain he'd gone through. Never would she be okay with him hurting.

"Anyway, Cordy refuses to work with Angel at Wolfram & Hart," Xander shared. "So she's kind of at loose ends. Do you want to go check out the Cleveland hellmouth when you're done with classes? You can maybe take Cordy. She's got the visions and some power from the PTB. If there's any activity, I can come give you a hand."

"You'd leave Sunnydale?" Buffy asked in surprise.

"Well, Faith's got it in hand. She has Giles and a team. Normally, an Avenger or two is here," Xander said. "Will and Tara are leaving after finals. They are going to spend a few weeks in Asgard before settling in New York City. They're transferring to Columbia."

"Really? That's pricey. Can Tara afford that?" she asked, knowing that Willow's parents paid for everything, but Tara didn't have that same luxury.

"Now that the Council is coughing up the money. All the field pay we've earned is ours now, Buff. Didn't you get a deposit?" Xander asked.

"I don't know. Laura takes care of everything. She said we had plenty of money for stuff now, and I didn't ask any questions," Buffy said, feeling dumb.

"Dawn got some money, too, that your brother and Laura are probably managing for her," Xander said.

"They made a reference about it to me, but I never really asked," Buffy said in bemusement. "I made a joke about buying more shoes."

"Well, I was given a crapload of money, so I can imagine yours was double that," Xander said.

"So Tara was paid and can afford Columbia?"

"Yep. Tony is hooking them up with a nice place not far from Avengers' headquarters," Xander said.

"What about Anya? Does she want to move out of Sunnydale?" she asked.

"Actually, we've talked about her opening another Magic Box on another active hellmouth," Xander shared. "She would be sole owner without Giles. As you can imagine, she likes the idea of not sharing any of the money."

"That sounds exciting. Anya breaking in a whole new town!" Buffy said, snickering at the thought of her avarice-prone friend.

"I just don't want to spend all my life in Sunnydale. A new locale would be nice. My company has a branch in Cleveland, so I could transfer," Xander said. He didn't tell her that he wanted to apply to a foreman position that would open up there in the summer. Xander would be the youngest foreman in the company if he got it, but he didn't want to jinx it.

"Well, if you and Anya are thinking about it, so will I," Buffy said, not mentioned Fury had suggested the same thing once. Instead, she said goodbye and hung up.

She thought about it all day and the next. Did she want to live on a whole new hellmouth? Cleveland was a much bigger city than Sunnydale and cold. However, she had gotten used to living without the ocean and colder weather living in Iowa.

When Clint came in for the weekend, she brought it up to him after dinner. They were clearing the table while Laura was getting the kids ready for bath and bedtime.

"So, Xander brought something up to me that I wanted to run by you," she said.

"How's he doing?" Clint asked.

"Good. Willow and Tara both got into Columbia and will be moving to New York in after the semester," she shared. "I think they're going to spend some time in Asgard over the summer."

"That's good," he said as they headed to the kitchen with the plates. Dawn took the dishes and began spraying them down.

"Xander asked me if I'd consider taking Cordelia to the Cleveland hellmouth and set up shop there," she said, biting the bullet.

Dawn and Clint both froze and looked up at her. Dawn was the first to recover. "You want to move to Cleveland?" she asked in a screech.

"Not necessarily want—just thinking about it," Buffy said. "Cordelia is at loose ends as she gets those visions from the Powers. Without a fight, they're going to waste. I'd have a connection that I've never had. We wouldn't be hitting things in the dark. Cleveland's a lot closer to here than Sunnydale."

"True," Clint said. He hated the idea of his sister fighting and endangering herself. Yet he knew she was hardwired to do so in a way none of the Avengers were. He could see the energy building in her living in Iowa and not slaying. Laura had told her how calmer Buffy had seem since she came back from her trip with Steve. Just doing something slayer-like fed a part of her soul like nothing else. Going on countless runs wasn't going to cut it much longer.

"Is the hellmouth even active in Cleveland?" Dawn asked.

"I'm not sure. I was thinking of going to Sunnydale and talking to Giles. Then go see Cordelia," Buffy said. "I don't have classes on Friday."

"Oh, can I go? It's been months since I've got to go home! I want to see everyone and my friends," Dawn said.

"What do you think?" Buffy asked their brother.

"I think that I hate the idea of you fighting all the time," he said with a sigh. "But I get it. I'll support you anyway I can. Do you need me to go with you to Sunnydale?"

"Not particularly. Spend time with Laura and the kiddos. I'll get us a ticket for next weekend," Buffy said. "Xander reminded me that we're now flush with cash."

"Thanks to Ms. Potts!" Dawn exclaimed.

"You'll be careful?" Clint asked.

"Always," Buffy said. "I'll take her to Sunnydale and head to L. A. I need to see Angel and Cordy."

"What's going on with Angel?" Dawn asked.

"Too many things," Buffy muttered. "But nothing serious. Don't worry. I just need to talk to him. Cordy's pretty upset with him, but I don't want to get into it."

Dawn didn't press, knowing how complicated anything Angel related was for Buffy.

Instead, she called Willow and Tara after she cleaned the kitchen to tell them the two would be there the following weekend.

***** _Sunnydale*****_

Buffy felt strange when they drove her car rental into Sunnydale. The place was home, but she felt like the visitor she was. The weight of the city and its challenges no longer weighed on her. She drove to her house, and Dawn jumped out of the car, too excited to wait until Buffy turned off the car.

By the time Buffy got to the door, Willow was there, hugging her tightly.

"Oh, goddess, how I've missed you," Willow said.

Buffy hugged her best friend, feeling joy—a stark contrast to the last time she'd been here at home with Willow. Christmas had been a happy occasion, but now she could tell that everything between them was okay. Buffy really did forgive Willow for her rash act and felt no lingering sadness at Willow's actions.

"It's good to be home," Buffy said. Tara stepped up, giving her that sweet, shy smile of hers.

"I'm glad you were able to come," Tara said, hugging Buffy. "We've missed you so much."

"And me!" Dawn piped up, her arm around Willow.

"I'm sorry I can't stay longer," Buffy said.

"Well, we know you have class," Willow said. "Xander and Spike will be happy to see you."

The girls chatted, catching up. Dawn ran across the street at some point to visit with her friend Janice. While she was gone, Buffy said, "So how are things really?"

"Great, Buffy," Willow assured her. "I feel so different since the All-Father touched me, removing the darkness. But I think he's right. Being here isn't good for my magic. Hellmouths taint all magic."

"That's true," Tara said. "We're excited to move. Tony's sent pictures of the three-bedroom condo his company owns. He wants us to use it."

"He said the rent we want to pay we should send to whatever charity we want," Willow said. "Isn't that cool? So many needy people in New York. Tony's being generous to us, so we can with others."

"Pay it forward is always good," Buffy said, smiling at their obvious happiness. "I plan on visiting you there and spreading my new-found wealth in as many places on Park Avenue as I can!"

Willow laughed. "I don't think that's exactly the same thing, but the economy will thank you!"

"So what's the plan?" Buffy asked.

"Xander and Anya are bringing dinner. Giles and Faith are bringing drinks. You're twenty-one now, so we can have a bottle of wine to toast our new paths," Willow said.

"Faith isn't twenty-one yet," Buffy said with a smirk. Faith may act old, but she was actually a year younger than Buffy. Of course, no one actually knew that until she'd been sent to prison.

Willow snorted. "Like that's every stopped her before!"

"How's she doing? She's called me a few times. Says things are good," Buffy said.

"They are," Tara said. "She's been really great."

"I'm not sure if I'd describe a murderer with the word good or great ever, but she's been working hard—no humans have been killed by her hand," Willow said. "That's an improvement."

Tara gave her lover a disapproving look. "Now, Willow, you know you're not supposed to have that attitude. The Captain would not approve," Tara said.

Willow grinned at Tara. "Look at my sweetie. Defender of all the bad boys and girls and Captain America's number one fan!" Willow teased.

"I thought that was Xander," Buffy said, grinning.

The door opened. "Speak of the devil," Willow remarked as Xander and Anya came in. Giles and Faith were behind them carrying bags.

"The devil? I'm your guy!" Xander exclaimed.

"That you are," Willow agreed, taking a bag from him.

Xander handed the other bag to Tara, so that he could hug Buffy. "So glad you could make time for a visit!"

"Where's Dawn?" Anya asked.

"Across the street," Buffy said after she hugged her and Giles. She smiled at Faith and surprised her by hugging her, too.

"Good to see you, B," Faith said.

"Good to be seen," Buffy said, smiling at her friends. She knew that she'd missed them but being with them hit home the fact.

"Are you hungry?" Xander asked.

"Of course," Buffy said. "I'll go get Dawn, so we can eat."

"I will," Faith said. "I remember the house." She left quickly. It was strange seeing Buffy again even though she'd spoken to her a few times on the phone. The old resentment and animosity wasn't there anymore.

They had a great dinner, sharing stories. For once, Buffy had little to say since she was the non-action gal. She did share a bit about her trip with Captain America and meeting the Winter Soldier—nothing too personal, though.

After dinner, Faith and Giles took her to the Magic Box to meet her SHIELD team.

Faith introduced them to her team, giving out all her pet names for them. Giles rolled his eyes and made proper introductions.

Buffy smiled and shook their hands. "Nice to meet you guys. Working with Faith is an adventure, huh?" Buffy asked.

"You know it!" Dave said, winking.

"So do you wanna go patrol with us?" Faith asked Buffy.

"Sure. I could so use a good slay. It's been too long since I've killed something!" Buffy said with a grin that Faith returned.

The SHIELD team exchanged glances, a bit disturbed about the Barbie-doll looking girl sounding so eager to kill. "It's not right," Dave muttered.

Dominic smirked, appreciating the sight of the two slayers as they bounded out the door with their favorite weapons.

"I think Slayer Barbie will be a fine addition to the team," Canada said, stepping away from the guys to Buffy's other side.

"So, Canada, how you liking the hellmouth?" Buffy asked her.

"Well, it's got pretty boys, lots of cool weapons, and the best demons around," Canada said with a grin.

Faith laughed. "I do like this girl, B. She's more fun than you usually were," Faith said.

"That's 'cause she's getting _paid_ to kill demons. If I'd been getting paid the whole time, I might've been a bit more eager," Buffy said, not offended by Faith. It was almost like the bad blood between the two of them was gone forever.

They heard a scream and moved quickly. They saw four vampires attacking two females. The girls ran forward.

"I don't think they need us," Dave said with a sigh of resignation as he watched the two slayers fight. It was clear that Buffy's technique was flawless, no wasted movement while Faith relished every hit and punch. However, the two slayers seemed to be connected and fought together like they had been fighting together for years.

"How long was Faith here before she got into trouble?" Dominic asked.

"Not quite a year about 3 years ago," he replied.

"So they've not fought side by side in three years and can still fight as one-f***ing unit?" Dominic observed.

"Yea. Makes us look like amateurs," Dave said envious. He clapped when Canada nailed one vampire, allowing the girls to be free.

When all the vampires were dead, Faith high-fived Canada and Buffy. "How about you guys take the south side of town and Buffy and I will take the north," Faith suggested. "Spike said he was going to be on the east side by Clem's crypt and go west."

They split up, and Buffy asked, "How has Spike been doing since Willow souled him?"

"Okay. It was a bit rough before Angel came and helped him out," Faith said.

"I can't believe that Angel is working for that evil law firm," Buffy said, shaking her head in disgust.

"It's Angel. You gotta know that he will always do what he thinks is right," Faith said, defending the one person she would call the best friend she'd ever had. "We don't have to agree or understand but be there for him when it all goes to shit."

"So you think it will?" Buffy asked.

"Of course," Faith said. "That is the same law firm that hired me to assassinate him when I first left Sunnydale and went to L.A."

"How come I didn't know that?" Buffy asked, frowning.

"Because Angel doesn't gossip," Faith said, grinning. Then she asked, "So how did you like traveling with Steve? I'd so hit that!"

"Steve? You want to hit him, or you want to sleep with him?" Buffy said. With Faith, you could never be sure. Probably both.

Faith laughed. "The blonde really is going too deep in you, huh?" she said, bumping Buffy with her hip.

Buffy pouted. "Hey! With you, it's hard to tell! You did both with Xander if I recall!" Buffy reminded her.

"True," Faith conceded. "I meant sleep with him. He's like a chiseled Greek god. Did you see him without a shirt? He's a work of art!"

Buffy grinned. "No, I didn't get the privilege," she said. "Do you want me to ask Clint if he's single?"

"I'm pretty sure he is 'cause he's never mentioned a girl," Faith said.

"But he's old school, so he wouldn't kiss and tell," Buffy pointed out.

"Good point," Faith said. "A guy like him would never be into a girl like me. Maybe to bang but that's it."

Buffy frowned, not liking to hear any woman be so down on herself. "Faith, Steve isn't that kind of guy. He'd never just sleep with a girl for the sake of sleeping with her," she said.

"How do you know? Most guys are like that," Faith remarked.

"Some are but a lot more aren't," she countered. "Not to mention the generation he was raised in most definitely wasn't."

"True," Faith acknowledged. They walked in silence a bit. "You think I have a chance?"

"I think if you care about him, you should let him know," Buffy said.

Faith nodded, considering. Did she have the guts? If he rejected her, things would be awkward and weird. "How about you? Any hotties on your radar?" she asked.

"Besides Steve?" Buffy asked, smirking. When Faith glared, she relented. "Don't worry. He's too Riley-like for my taste. No more soldier boys for me!"

Faith knew from her own experience—little thought it was—with Riley that Buffy had a good point. That one night with Riley, experiencing his tenderness, had marked her soul. It wasn't something she'd ever forget since it was the one and only time she'd ever experienced it.

"You still haven't answered my question," Faith said, giving her a look. "Do you have anyone in your sights? Spike maybe now that he's all souled up?"

"Spike?" Buffy asked in surprise.

Faith stopped walking and looked at her. "You're really that surprised I'd suggest him? He is your type, after all. Besides, he had no soul and still loved you, B. I heard he took a beating from that hell-god and still didn't betray you," Faith said. "That's gotta count for something."

"It did—it does," Buffy said. "But I just don't want to love another vampire. One was enough for this vampire slayer, don't you think?"

Faith laughed. "Good point," she said. "I feel a bit bad for Spike, though. He's never going to get his girl."

"Sure, he will. Just not this one," Buffy said.

"So there _is_ someone?" Faith asked with a knowing look. When Buffy looked flustered, she nudged her with her elbow. "Spill."

"Spill what? There's nothing to tell," Buffy insisted. "I've not been seeing anyone."

"What about the Captain's friend? I bet he's a hottie. Got a bit of the same serum as Steve, right?" Faith asked.

"Bucky? Yea, he's good-looking in that soulful, broken sort of way," Buffy said.

"I figured," Faith said smugly.

"I just spoke to him twice! He's in jail right now. I doubt I'll see him again anytime soon," Buffy pointed out.

"But it's good to have a guy to dream about, right?" Faith said knowingly.

Buffy hesitated and then gave a wry smile. "Maybe."

Faith laughed. It seemed that she and Buffy finally had something to talk about besides slaying.

***** _Los Angeles*****_

Buffy had let Cordelia know she was dropping by, so she was there to greet Buffy and let her in. The warm greeting by Cordy was a bit of a surprise. Sure, they'd been friends, but they weren't hugging friends. But she knew that Cordy had changed, and Buffy had actually died. It was nice to be appreciated.

"I can't believe how undead you look!" Cordelia gushed. "I love the hair. New conditioner?"

"Yes, actually. My sister-in-law has some great stuff she introduced me to," Buffy said, smiling.

The lamp light flickered. "Oh, Buffy, that's Dennis, my ghostly roommate. Dennis, this is my friend from high school, Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Cordy introduced.

"You live with a ghost?" Buffy asked in surprise. "That's not a bit creepy?"

"Dennis isn't creepy. He's a sweetheart. Now his mother who murdered him was a nightmare. We exorcised her right away, but Dennis takes care of me, don't you, Dennis?" The lamp blinked.

"Weird," Buffy said. "At least you don't have to share the bathroom with anyone. Sharing with Dawn is such a pain!"

Cordelia grinned. "How's she doing? I wish you'd brought her," she said.

"She told me to tell you hi and hopes you'll stop by Iowa soon to see her," Buffy said. "She said that she had more people to visit in Sunnydale than L.A. She'll come spend more time after school's out."

"So what brings you to town?" Cordelia asked, gesturing for her to sit on the sofa.

"Well, two reasons. One, I wanted to talk to you, and two, I needed to go see Angel and make sure he's okay," Buffy shared. "Xander told me about his son." When Cordelia got a devastated look in her eyes, Buffy felt guilty. "Sorry for bringing up bad memories."

"Did he tell you that I was there and helped care for Conner as a baby? I was, like, his mother figure and everything. Then he comes back a teenager, and my body was hijacked. At some point, I had sex with him and produced that hell bitch Jasmin that caused my coma!" Cordelia shared.

Buffy grimaced. "Not exactly," she said, giving her a faint smile. "That's pretty awful."

"Angel thinks he made the right choice to save Conner, but you can't imagine how evil that law firm is, Buffy," Cordelia said.

"Well, Faith did tell me that they'd hired her to kill Angel back in the day," Buffy said.

"That's the least of it. They resurrected Darla as a human and had her playing all kinds of head games with him," Cordelia said. "We thought he was hallucinating since we knew Darla was slayed since our sophomore year. Then Angel decided Darla was human and had a soul, so he just had to save her. Guess what? She had been dying of syphilis when the Master turned her 'cause she was a big fat hoe! No surprise, right?"

Buffy blinked at the onslaught of information. "I definitely didn't hear that!"

"When she decided to be a vamp again to live 'cause the syphilis came back—talk about irony, but Angel was really hurt at her decision. He tried so hard to save her, and he felt like he'd failed her," Cordelia explained. "He was at the lowest point I've ever seen him. Did some questionable things—I won't bother inflicting the details on you. Needless to say, his sexy-time with Darla while she was back to being a vampire was about him deciding he didn't care anymore. He didn't care if he lost his soul."

"Wow," Buffy said, upset to hear all this about Angel. Cordelia knew more about her ex than she did.

"I guess, though, it's not sex that does him in, but real happiness," Cordelia said. "Sex with the hoe bag didn't make him happy, so no soul lost."

Buffy grimaced at the thought. "I hate to think of him going through so much, and I can't help him," she muttered.

"Yea. I tried and now there's this new thing," Cordelia said with a sigh. "I want to be there for him. I do love the stupid oaf, but I can't work in that building with those evil soul-sucking fiends!"

"I don't blame you. I wouldn't either," she said. "You know Faith said that we just have to be there for him when it all starts to fall apart. That's when he'll need us."

"True," Cordelia said.

The two women sat in silence. Buffy looked bemused when a pot of tea with two cups were floated over to them. "Thanks, Dennis," Cordelia said as the invisible ghost poured them tea. He placed two lumps of sugar in each.

"I haven't seen lumps of sugar since I was a kid," Buffy said, looking on in surprise.

"It reminds him of happier times, so I get it for him," Cordelia said.

"Do you want to move out of Los Angeles?" Buffy asked. "Xander suggested I go check out the hellmouth in Cleveland when my class is over. Would you be interested in accompany me to see it?"

Cordelia blinked, surprised. "Well, sure. Nothing else going on. I should use my gift somewhere," she said. "I was thinking about going back to Asgard. I didn't know what else to do. Maybe college. Did you know we have money now? The Watcher's Council delivered me a cashier check for my years of service helping you on the hellmouth!"

Buffy grinned. "Yes, Tony's girlfriend rattled some cages and got Travers to cough up money," she said. "I wish I could've seen that!"

"It's nice not to be totally broke girl," Cordelia said.

"Well, I'm sure there's a school in Cleveland," Buffy said.

"I think there's Cleveland State University. Not a great school but adequate," Cordelia said.

"I was going to USC Sunnydale where the staff actually experimented on students and tried to kill me!" Buffy pointed out.

"Good point," Cordelia said, grinning. Then a thought occurred to her. "You know, you can ask Wesley to be your Watcher again. He has this whole unrequited love thing going on with Fred. Maybe if he's gone her heart will grow fonder?"

"Plus, it will get him out of that building, right?"

"Exactly!"

"I'll feel him out," Buffy said. "Do you want to come with me?"

Cordelia hesitated, considering it. Then she shook her head. "I already had one very painful talk with Angel. Now it's your turn. He'll feel very betrayed and abandoned if he hears that I might work with you on another hellmouth. It's better if you tell him," she said.

Buffy pouted. "Chicken!" she accused. "Make me the bearer of bad news!"

"Yep!" Cordelia said, feeling smug.

The two ladies eventually went out for a late lunch, catching up and learning more about each other. It was very apparent that although Cordelia was still the girl she had known, she had changed in a way that Buffy had when she was called. When they parted company, promising to talk soon, both girls were very happy with their time together.

Seeing Angel again wasn't nearly as pleasant. When Buffy ignored Harmony and walked straight into his office, Harmony knew that trouble was about to happen and paged the team. Gunn, Wesley, Lorne, and Fred came quickly, standing outside the office. They could hear loud voices.

"What's going on?" Gunn asked.

"It's Buffy," Harmony said.

"The slayer?" Gunn asked.

"She would never hurt Angel," Wesley assured them.

Lorne knocked on the door. "Angelkins, are you okay? Need any help?" he called out.

The door swung open and a beautiful pixie-sized slayer glared up at him. "Aren't you a future reading empath? Why didn't you predict this job change would not end well for Angel?" Buffy asked him in an accusatory tone.

"Oh, Lorne has to have you sing first," Harmony explained, trying to be helpful. "Angel hates singing."

"Buffy, don't blame my friends," Angel said. "You know I did this for a very good reason, and I would hope as my friend, you'd support me."

Buffy's gaze softened as she gazed at him. "I do, Angel. I'm just worried about you," she said.

"I'm a big boy, Buffy. You know I can take care of myself," Angel told her with a half-smile.

No matter how many years that passed, Buffy still wasn't immune to that smile. "Fine," she said in resignation. "But if anyone here harms you in any way, I will burn this building to the ground and find a way to go directly to the Wolf, Ram, and Hart and rip out their bloody hearts!"

Angel grinned. "If anyone could, it'd be you," he said.

"You know Willow could probably figure out the dimension they're operating from," Buffy said. "She gave Spike back his soul with a thought. I'm not sure she has limits."

"Spike got his soul back, too?" Harmony asked with a pout. "That's _so_ not fair! I've not killed nearly the people Spike and Angel have. Don't I deserve a soul, too?"

Buffy was surprised and glanced at Angel for help. "I'll talk to Willow," Angel told her.

"Wes, can we talk?" Buffy asked him.

"Sure," Wesley said, surprised.

Buffy went to Angel and gave him a hug. "I've got a lot of powerful friends these days, Angel. You get into anything here and need help, please call me," she said. "You have my number?"

"I do, and I will," Angel assured her. He was glad at least one of the women he loved wasn't too angry with him. He kept waiting for Cordy to come back, but so far, she hadn't.

Wesley led Buffy to his office. She looked around. "Nice," she said.

"Yes, it is," Wesley agreed.

"So are you really okay working for Evil, Incorporated?" Buffy asked him pointedly.

"I wouldn't use the word happy, but the job does have perks that we have been using to help people," he said.

"But at what cost, Wes? Did you sign away your soul?" she asked.

"No, of course not!" he said quickly.

"Well, I wouldn't trust anything you signed," she said. "But I do want to know if you'd be open to something else."

"What do you mean?" Wesley asked.

"Cordy and I are going to go check out the Cleveland hellmouth in a few weeks when my class is over. If we determine it's active, we're going to set up shop there," she said. "Xander and Anya will join us. Giles will stay in Sunnydale with Faith and the SHIELD team. Fury said he'd give me a team, too, if I did begin working in Cleveland."

"You want me to go with you?" he asked, surprised.

"I want to know if you'd be interested in being my Watcher again?" Buffy asked, smiling at him. She knew that more than anyone, Wesley had changed. No longer was he the pretentious Head Boy with a stick stuck up his butt.

Wesley's eyes opened wide in shock. "Work as your Watcher? But what about Giles? The Council?" he asked.

"Well, you know Giles is always going to be my Watcher to some degree," Buffy said. "I love him like a father, though, so it blurs the lines. Faith needs him more than I do. But you know magic more than Giles, and our witches will be in New York. You also know the books even better than Giles. You could probably figure out if the hellmouth is actually active."

"I probably could," he acknowledged.

"As for the Council, I have a friend who got them to pay all of back pay for our work in the field. Even Cordy and Xander got paid," Buffy said with a smug grin.

"Really?" Wesley said, impressed.

"I'm the slayer. If I want you as my Watcher, the Council will have to get over it and pay you as one," she said.

Wesley knew that his parents—his father especially—hadn't forgiven him for failing so spectacularly in Sunnydale. Although he was still fighting the good fight, his father, more often than not, spoke with him in a contemptuous tone when he shared his life. He hadn't had the guts to tell them about his new employer. He thought about Fred. His love for her was unwavering. Did he want to leave her? Of course, she still kept him friend-zoned. How long would he wait for her to see him as more?

"I don't mean to get personal, Wes, but Cordy did tell me that you had a thing for the science girl, Fred," Buffy said. "She can come, too. Talk to her about it."

"We're just friends," he said.

"Maybe so. It doesn't mean that's all you'll ever be," Buffy remarked. "And if she doesn't want to come, maybe you being gone will make her realize what she's missing."

"Maybe," he said. If she didn't notice he was gone at all, then, well, he would be better off. He was silent a long moment as he thought about her offer. "Fine. I'll accept your offer. If you make the move, I'll come and be your Watcher." He held out his hand, and Buffy shook it, beaming at him.

A new city and a new team sounded perfect. Of course, it wasn't exactly a new team, but it was great having a plan.

She stopped by Angel's office to tell him one more thing. "Oh, Angel, I almost forgot. Cordelia is going to check out the hellmouth in Cleveland with me, and if it's active, she'll be helping me there," she said. "Later!" She practically ran to the exit as she heard Angel's yell.

" _What_?" he exclaimed.

_*****A Week Later*****_

Bucky was surprised when he was given a letter. His only visitor besides doctors and scientist had been Director Fury and Steve. This was a personal letter. The name Buffy Summers was on the top left corner. She had done it—she wrote him a letter. Eagerly, he ripped it open and took out her letter. Her handwriting was feminine and easy to read.

_Dear Bucky,_

_I meant to write you sooner, but I got caught up in things. I had to make a trip to Los Angeles to check on some friends. I hope you're doing okay. Steve called and told me that they had done an MRI on you and located the chip that was part of your brain washing, so you should be right as rain in no time. Of course, he didn't use those words exactly, and I'm not exactly sure how rain can be right. Mom other always said that to me when I was little._

Bucky paused a moment, picturing her telling him this in person. It was like he could hear her voice. How was that possible when he'd only spoken with her on a few occasions? He continued.

_I'm sure by now Steve's told you why I'm different from other girls. It's why I looked at you in that barn and knew you were still the friend he'd told me about. You may be a bit broken, but I know you can be whole again one day. How do I know that? Well, let me begin by telling you a little more about me, and why I know what it means to be broken and be made whole again…_

Bucky read her letter, relishing every word. Letter exchange was something so familiar to him. In the War, he'd had exchanged letters with a dozen girls or so. It was comforting and brought back good memories. More importantly, it let him know more than anything that he mattered to someone. Buffy had taken time out of her life to write him—a killer, a Hydra puppet, a former soldier.

He felt the hole inside him get a bit smaller, the darkness a bit brighter.

Maybe he would be all right after all.

Maybe.

***** _The End******_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I have more!


End file.
